Do you ever find yourself reaching for a snack because you're bored? When you're stressed, do you notice that you crave junk food? You may be dealing with emotional eating, a behavior pattern that can often cause people to gain weight.
Emotional eating is when you eat to address negative emotions instead of when you're hungry. Although some people have a decreased appetite when they're stressed, emotional eaters find themselves dealing with stress, anger, sadness, fear, loneliness, or boredom by turning to food. Emotional eating does little to address the underlying problem, and can also have negative effects on your physical well-being.
Emotional eating can be particularly detrimental for weight loss goals because emotional eaters tend to eat more calories than they need when they're feeling stressed. When emotion, rather than hunger, is your guide, it's difficult to know when it's time to stop eating. Additionally, emotional eaters tend to reach for foods that are loaded with sugars, fat, and calories.
When you eat to cope with emotions, the end result is unresolved emotional issues. The food you eat doesn't address the original stress or sadness you were feeling when you started eating. The emotions will return, and you may find yourself dealing with the additional burden of feeling bad about overeating or being overweight.
The first step toward breaking the emotional eating cycle - and losing weight as a result - is to identify why you eat. Consider keeping a food journal. Track what you eat, when you eat, and how you're feeling when you reach for food. You should be able to spot a pattern if your desire for food is linked to negative emotions.
Emotional eating is a common obstacle for people who are trying to lose weight. Turning to food to fight your emotions can cause you to overeat and make unhealthy food choices that make weight loss nearly impossible. Learn how to get a handle on emotional eating and get back on track with your weight loss goals.